title: Identification of new drug targets and biomarkers related to obesity and eating disorders: an approach based on reward deficit and addiction.
abstract: Current pharmacological treatments for eating disorders and obesity are of limited value and thus the identification of novel targets is highly needed to enhance the development of more effective drugs. Among the bottlenecks limiting the introduction of new medicines is the reported heterogeneity of these diseases, which makes it difficult to find drugs with broad activity and the lack of animal models with translational validity, especially in the case of anorexia nervosa. Some kinds of obesity and eating disorders can be classified within the pathologies affecting the brain reward system together with drug addiction and others, and therefore specific treatments in these cases can be directed to restore normal function in brain reward pathways. Target identification in this field can greatly benefit from the combined application of genomic/proteomic techniques and robust animal models of reward deficits.
authors.affiliation: Translational Research Unit, Hospital General de Ciudad Real, Obispo Rafael Torija, s/n, 13005 Ciudad Real, Spain. lfalguacil@sescam.jccm.es
authors.forename: Luis F
authors.initials: LF
authors.lastname: Alguacil
authors.forename: Elisabet
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Salas
authors.forename: Carmen
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: González-Martín
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000378:metabolism*; D001921:Brain / Q000187:drug effects / Q000201:enzymology / Q000503:physiopathology; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D001068:Feeding and Eating Disorders / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000503:physiopathology; D023281:Genomics / Q000379:methods; D006801:Humans; D008959:Models, Neurological; D058990:Molecular Targeted Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D009434:Neural Pathways / Q000187:drug effects / Q000503:physiopathology; D009765:Obesity / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000503:physiopathology; D040901:Proteomics / Q000379:methods; D012201:Reward; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000503:physiopathology*
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers